Honor and Responsibility
by baby-kitsune9
Summary: When the masters of ryozanpaku took on kenichi, they assumed responsibility of his friends and family as well. However what happens when one of them messes up and almost gets one of kenichi's family killed? What lengths will said master go to, to keep that person safe from harm again? An akisame/Oc fic.
1. Chapter 1

**_Here's another of my projects- Honor and Responsibility. _**

**_I hope that it turns out well since I'm pretty much flying blind here so R&R and let me know what you think!_**

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Saturday.

August the tenth, 4:00 a.m.

Kenichi was having a difficult time sleeping even after the stressful events of the day, and lay on his back waiting for his master, Akisame-san, to sneak into his room and wake him for his early morning training before breakfast. He sighed and stared up at the ceiling, once again trying to count the tiles overhead in an effort to relax a bit while his mind went over minute details here and there.

It had been over a month in a half since he had started training at a local, yet oddly enough not very well known dojo, Ryozanpaku- in an effort to learn how to defend himself from bullies and in that time he had been in multiple fights and won. Though the latest...had definitely been the most difficult for him because the thug that he'd been facing off against had pulled a knife.

And though he had walked away without anything more than bruised knuckles, he felt strangely about having to be helped by Miu_...again_. I mean, wasn't it supposed to be the other way around in situations like that? Wasn't he- the guy- supposed to protect and help her? _M_aybe _I really aren't cut out for this martial arts stuff. _He thought with a sad sigh as he turned over onto his side to face barren walls.

Since the incident with the knife, the masters had imposed upon him- stating that they would train him to take care of opponents with weapons_ if_ he started staying over at the dojo on the weekends.

Now Kenichi may be somewhat dimwitted, but he wasn't stupid. Not by a long shot. He knew that part of the reason they had done this was to help speed up his training while cramming more hours into the day for him to practice what they taught him. Of course he knew the reason _why_ they were going to such lengths when they could simply show him a few things then leave him to his own vices and see if he figured things out for himself.

And he was grateful for their efforts especially since he knew the extra training _would_ and _could_ possibly save his life sometime in the not so distant future.

Sighing he was about to turn over again when his cell phone chimed softly next to him, causing him to jump slightly before growling low in his throat and reaching over to snatch it up to see what was going on. Figuring that it was his little sister Honoka texting him again and flicked the cell open when he noted the name on the text message as he bolted upright in his bed with a wide eyed look on his face and stared in shock at the words typed across the screen.

**_Kenichi-_**

**_Long time no hear. _****_Coming back to Japan for the next year or so to visit while mom finishes up some stuff with her latest marriage. _**

**_Mind if I stay with you? _**

Blinking as a silly little grin split his face, he quickly typed back a reply.

**_Saya!_**

**_Yeah it has been a while. And sure you can stay with me anytime. Just let me talk to mom and dad, I'm sure that they'll love to see you again. Honoka would too. You should see how much she's grown! When will you be here?_**

He sent the message and waited for a second for a reply. And when it came he nearly died on the spot.

**_Kenichi- _**

**_On the plane now. Should be there in just a few hours. Maybe around noon-_**

_Well_, Kenichi thought as he tried to calm the nervous fluttering in his stomach. That didn't give him much time to prepare, but if he let his master's know what was going on then left the dojo early enough then maybe he could get to his parents and warn them before she got there.

Not that they actually needed warning or anything. His family was the type of family that simply took in whoever happened to walk through the front door and treated them as their own. It didn't matter if it was a man, woman, or child- the moment they walked through the front door the Shirihama family treated them as if they had been there a hundred years.

That sort of blind trust had never caused any problems for them before. But now that his parents and sister knew about the gang after him- they had sort of altered their behavior patterns and become a little more wary. So warning his parents was more of a formality to prevent any incidents that might harm Saya if she were to try and enter the house without an invite. Nothing more. Nothing less.

**_Saya!_**

**_Alright. Do you want to meet up somewhere? Like the airport or something? _**Kenichi typed out the message after a heartbeat or so of careful thought. With Ragnorock running wild he wasn't entirely sure he wanted Saya walking the streets alone. But he was loathe to take what freedom she had finally gained from her after how her controlling mother had been treating her for the past few years.

But that didn't stop him from worrying that something may happen.

**_Kenichi- _**

**_Nah, that would just be a pain. Especially since I'm already suffering from jet lag..._**

**_Saya!_**

**_Alright. See you tomorrow afternoon._ **Kenichi typed, sent and then sat back and waited while holding his breath.

**_Kenichi- _**

**_Will do. See ya cuz!_**


	2. Chapter 2

The next day-

The masters were sitting down to breakfast when Kenichi came tearing through the dining room half dressed, his jeans unzipped and buttoned and hanging low around his hips while his shirt and jacket gaped open as he moved past them just as fast as he could with his cellphone tightly clutched in between his teeth while he did his damndest not to trip and fall flat on his face.

"Wha- Kenichi!" Miu called as she and the puzzled looking masters all watched him disappear out the dining room door and out into the hallway where he hastily zipped and buttoned his pants then stuffed his cell in one of his jean side pockets before he turned his attention to his shirt and quickly started to button the buttons while he hastily tried to jam his feet into his shoes. "Kenichi? What's wrong?" Miu asked as she came jogging up with several of the masters hot on her heels.

"I need to go home." He said quickly before pausing upon feeling a large hand on his shoulder and turned to see the elder, Miu's grandfather standing right there behind him looking curious.

"Where's the fire, Kenichi?"

Kenichi turned his head to blink up at him for a second before muttering, "Oh. Right." He hadn't explained why he was in such a rush or asked his masters if he could skip training for the next few days as long as he came during the week to make up for lost time after school. "I didn't get up after I went back to sleep earlier so I forgot to tell all of you-" He said as he rubbed the back of his neck somewhat nervously as the masters all finished gathering in the hallway. "I got a text this morning before I went out for training from a relative of mine who's coming home for a while. I haven't seen her since she was eight cause her dad died and her mother remarried and moved to the U.S. Anyways, I was wondering if it would be okay to take a few days off of my weekend training or to maybe switch my schedule around so I don't fall behind? If that's okay, I mean." Kenichi finished off his sentence as he started to fidget.

This was the part he hated about asking his masters for favors. They got quiet for a minute or so and then they'd shoot him down in flames and laugh at his expression while they did so.

The jerks. Kenichi thought as the elder laughed before replying, "A relative. I see. And how long has it been since you've seen her in person?"

Kenichi took a moment to think before saying, "That's just it. After her mom moved over sea's she wasn't allowed to come back- even if it was to visit. The guy her mom married, from what little bit I've heard, was a controlling bastard who didn't even allow her to have time with friends. Her days mainly consisted of getting up, dealing with him and her step-siblings, then going to school and then coming home and dealing with him all over again."

The elder hunkered down and rested his elbows on his legs as he waited for Kenichi to finally get around to answering his question outright. Although he was a mite curious as to what Kenichi meant when he said 'deal with him'. Was that slang for something? He wondered as Kenichi finally took a big breath and started speaking again.

"Turns out that the guy was a pedo and some of his lesser attractive impulses were passed on to his two sons. But by the time her mom figured that out for herself, she had wound up in the hospital at least three times with broken bones and strangle marks and stuff before she decided to actually do something about it. After that everything was okay then sometime last year when she turned twenty she was diagnosed with a medical condition- nothing big mind you- but she was pretty bummed about it because it meant that she couldn't do any of the stuff she'd done since she had been a child. Out of safety reasons. Also three months after that her mother was diagnosed with cancer...and she's dying. And on top of everything else her mom just up and decided that she wanted to get remarried to some guy that they've both known for years so- Uh, what was your question again?"

"Hmm...it sounds as if you already know everything there is to know." The elder said.

"Huh? No! That's not true! It's been ten years since I last saw her. Ten years where we were both cheated of seeing the other grow up. We were always so close as kids, it's just not right! I want to see what kind of person Saya has become in all this time. I want to know that what was done to her when she was younger hasn't killed her spirit!" Kenichi said as he took a moment to glance down at his watch and nearly shattered everyone's eardrums with a scream as he quickly opened the door and bolted outside hoping to leave the 'troublesome ones' far behind him.

He made it half way to the massive gate that stood as the entrance when he was grabbed by the nape of the neck by another large hand and nearly died on the spot when he turned his head slightly to see master Akisame standing there with a sly smirk on his face.

How stupid of him to think that he could get away so easily...


	3. Chapter 3

Akisame laughed at the comical look on Kenichi's face as he mused, Good grief the boy has issues.

If he managed to glare any harder at him then one of two things would happen. 1) His eyes just might pop out of their sockets. And 2) His eyes just might burst into flames and melt. Both mental images (while disgusting) were also somewhat amusing to the judo master as he walked side by side with his young pupil.

He must admit that while he did sort of have a legitimate reason for coming out with Kenichi, he was also somewhat curious about his cousin. Kenichi had said that she had been abused when she was younger, if that were indeed the case and she had decided to stay in the immediate area then Kenichi would focus a majority of his attention away from training so that he could make her comfortable and see to it that no one bothered her.

And while Akisame himself, and the other masters wouldn't begrudge the teen the loss of focus to help one of his own- he couldn't help but think that if allowed- he and the others could help the two cousin's by keeping them both out of trouble.

_Perhaps I should meet the young lady and extend an invitation to her to come to the dojo and learn some basic hand to hand so that she can take care of herself? _He glanced over at Kenichi for a moment, his expression thoughtful before he made a soft humming sound and thought. _Kenichi might appreciate the help in seeing to her mental and physical well being. And it would take a load off of his mind. If I did invite her to learn the basics of self defense, then it might help Kenichi to train with her so that he could tell what's she's being taught and stop us if we go too far. After all the last thing we would want to do to someone who's been abused before is cause irreparable damage. _

"Kenichi," Akisame started to say before continuing somewhat hesitantly. "I wanted to ask you if you know whether or not your cousin took basic self defense lessons or something after she was hurt the last time?"

Kenichi turned his head to look at him for a moment before stuffing his hands in his pants pockets to hide his fists before replying, "I think she started taking basic self defense then moved on to some karate but her step father got pissed and forced her to stop the lessons after she broke his nose. But I know that she kept up with what she'd learned and picked up new things here and there. She just doesn't go around advertising it."

"Wise of her." Akisame said under his breath as he thought of the two types of fighters that inhabited the world.

1) Was the type of fighter that wore their experience and combat skill like an armor. One only had to look at them to see that they could handle themselves in a fight and thus often avoided them. 2) However, was different from the first because they didn't bother advertising their skill or combat experience. They hid it from the sight of others, were careful and deliberate in every action and movement they made so that they wouldn't give themselves away.

And while he hadn't met the young lady just yet, he couldn't help but get the feeling that like Kenichi- his cousin would be a type 2 fighter. Still... "I wanted to tell you that if for any reason you wish to bring her to ryozanpaku to learn a bit more on how to take care of herself, that you are more than welcome to. The elder, Shigure and myself would see to her training ourselves. And with you there- you could make sure that we don't take things too far."

Kenichi blinked at him for a moment, his expression totally stupefied before he realized that this was just his master's way of trying to tell him that he shouldn't shoulder the upcoming burden's alone. Not when he and the other masters would gladly help.

Which would have been heartwarming to Kenichi if the offer of having all of the masters help train his cousin wasn't so damn terrifying.

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Saya had decided not to take a cab the whole way to her cousin's house due to motion sickness mostly and so climbed out of the car and grabbed her two bags (which held her every worldly possession courtesy of her mother). The large bag carried within it what clothing she had been able to fit into the bag, a grand total of seven shirts, four skirts, eight pairs of pants, and three dresses along with her hair brush, toothbrush, medications for her seizures and anxiety attacks, four pairs of shoes (all her favorites). One pair of black three inch heels with little gold and teal colored flowers and butterflies on them.

Which matched one of her shirts, with an oriental themed pattern on it.

And one pair of combat boots with small heels, and another pair of lace up ankle boots, and the last pair was nothing more than soft leather shoes that she favored for their comfort. They were great for going out walking, running, lounging around...

And just under the shoes was her two favorite bottles of perfume- call her crazy but she wasn't a girly girl who bought into the whole 'makeup makes the gal' thing so she only tended to use things like her perfume created from fragrant calla lilies and jasmine, and the other created from sunflowers along with two things of fingernail polish and lip gloss.

That was it. Nothing more.

And under those were three sketch pads with some watercolor pencils and pens to use when she was bored and felt like drawing something. And in her smaller bag...was enough of her mother's fine diamond jewelry (her engagement ring from Saya's late father plus her bridal piece. A diamond and flawless sapphire necklace and earring set ect.) and almost three hundred thousand dollars in money to see her comfortably put up in her own house somewhere close to Kenichi and the rest of the family.

When her mother had handed her the money, Saya had been shocked to say the least and had started to ask her mother what she was doing when her mother simply said that since she was dying- she'd soon have no use for it anyways. So she might as well do the one thing she felt was right. She then apologized to Saya for never being the best parent. And for allowing her former second husband and his son's to hurt her before she realized the damage they were inflicting on her.

She'd told her that she had met a guy who had already asked her to marry him, it was someone that Saya knew because he had used to protect her from her step father and his son's whenever she managed to get away from them and would run to him for help. He was a nice guy and he had sworn that he would take care of her mother and see her through the end. There was no need for such a pretty young thing like herself to make herself sick just sitting around waiting for the inevitable.

And that was that, Saya supposed, completely flabbergasted by the two's logic as she was handed the money in a small bag along with the jewelry her mother wanted her to have and a one way plane ticket. The next day she'd found herself being ushered onto her plane so fast that her head practically spun.

And now that she was here... Well she wasn't exactly sure what she wanted to do with her life. All she knew was that she should see Kenichi and the rest of the family and hear their thoughts on what had happened and see if she should go back.


	4. Chapter 4

_Why did Akisame-sensei need me to stay put while he picked up some stuff inside the store? Doesn't he know how important it is that I go tell my parents that Saya is coming before_ _she winds up shot by my dad_. Kenichi thought as he gave an impatient sigh and checked his watch again. It had been close to twenty minutes since Akisame had maneuvered him to the closest medical supply store and more or less told him that if he disappeared on him- he'd break his legs. And then reset them, then make him train with Apachai for a month straight.

And while Kenichi was anxious to take his leave of his crazed sensei... He wasn't that eager to die. So he had no choice _but_ to wait. And it was driving him frigging crazy!

Crossing his arms over his chest, he leaned his back against the brick of the building and started to tap his left foot in an rapid, rhythmless motion to show his growing impatience at his master and after checking his watch another two times- made a growling sound and pushed away from the building to go stomping inside and drag his master out when the front door opened and Akisame walked out with three plastic bags held in one hand and a large paper bag cradled in the crook of his arm.

"Thank you, bye!" Akisame called out to the store clerk in a friendly manner as he walked over to Kenichi and unceremoniously handed him one of the bags in his hands. Kenichi blinked and then glanced down at the bag then up at him with a funny look on his face as Akisame gave him a totally innocent look, as if to say, _'What? I can't carry it all myself.' _

"Master..."

"I know Kenichi. You have to run off and tell your family that your cousin is coming-"

"Yes. I do which mean that I have no time to carry your things. If I don't hurry, Saya could get hurt!"

Akisame blinked at him then frowned, _Hurt? _He though curiously. Kenichi never said anything about the girl possibly getting hurt if he didn't hurry. "What do you mean when you say that your cousin could get hurt if you don't hurry? Are you thinking that some of the thugs from Ragnarock could perhaps harm her?"

Kenichi thought for a moment, wondering just how much he should tell his master before figuring that he should just come clean about how the attacks on him had escalated to attacks on his mom and little sister. Which was why his dad had taken up answering the door of their home with a gun in hand. "Ragnarock is- at this moment- not really an issue since they don't know about Saya. However, there are some things that I've been neglecting to tell you and the other masters for a while now."

Curiosity piqued, Akisame hummed then fell silent and said nothing as he waited for Kenichi to come clean about what he had been refusing to speak of. "For the past few months Ragnarock and it's thugs haven't just been after me..." Kenichi said as he hung his head, either too ashamed to look Akisame in the eye or too embarrassed. "They somehow found out where I live and started attacking my mom and Honoka. They haven't managed to really hurt them just yet- but I think that's only because they're playing with them. And when my dad found out what was going on- well- he started carrying a gun. He keeps a hand held on him at all times now and even keeps one with him at home just in case. So if Saya shows up without notice after everything that's happened, my dad just might shoot her thinking that she's one of Raganrock's people."

Frowning slightly, Akisame sighed as he regarded his student with a small sense of disappointment. _Damn. Why hadn't Kenichi mentioned the new change in the Ragnarock situation before? Did he really think he and the other master's would judge him for being too weak to handle it himself when his family needed help? _It was true that they often teased Kenichi for being so small and scrawny, and didn't have the slightest bit of muscle on him but that didn't mean that he was truly weak.

Not by a long shot.

_But not being weak never solved anyone's problems. _Especially in Kenichi's case. In fact, for Kenichi- strength was like a double edged sword. Sure he was learning to handle himself just fine. And he had taken out quite a few people. However, his exploits drew unwanted attention from even better fighters. Which placed not only him, but his family and friends in even more danger.

"Alright Kenichi. Lets drop this stuff off at the clinic then we'll go to you're parents to tell them about your cousin's arrival."


	5. Chapter 5

"I've been meaning to ask you Kenichi..." Akisame started to say after they had walked about a block or so. "Why did you so eagerly tell the other's and I about what happened to your cousin? I mean, that isn't exactly something that you just go around telling strangers. A person's past is a somewhat personal matter." Akisame said as Kenichi turned his head to glare up at the man with a funny look on his face.

As if to say, _'Well it's not like you wouldn't have tortured the info out of me inevitably anyways.' _Making the judo master's lips quirk slightly as Kenichi sighed and then replied.

"I felt that it was in everyone's best interest to know- Just in case she decided to swing by the dojo out of curiosity or something. Besides, as much as you guys love your gossip, you keep it within the walls of Ryozanpaku. Where as if I had told anyone else- like say- Niijima, the entire country would have known about it in point 0.02 seconds flat. Besides, if you met her and she started acting wary or frightened of you- You might get curious anyways. Provided of course that some of you more hot tempered guys didn't get offended first. This way, everything I know has been laid out there. So if you met her- you would know what not to do. And that would allow her to feel that she can trust you with her wellbeing. Get it?"

Akisame made no comment as Kenichi gave him a quick grin. His mind was too focused on his student to bother forming coherent sentences for the moment. _When had Kenichi become such a strategist? _He wondered as he thought over everything that he'd just been told before silently agreeing with himself. Yup. The kid had become a strategist of sorts.

But then he probably would have noticed if he had ever really seen Kenichi fight. Because aside from that one time with the kid Tanimoto Natsu, a.k.a The Hermit, one of Ragnarock's former big bads- He had never really seen Kenichi fight. He knew from Miu's reports to himself and the other master's that Kenichi was becoming stronger, more confidant in his ability to protect himself and others.

He even knew that the boy was no longer running away if he was confronted head on. But at the same time he knew that lately Kenichi hadn't been acting like himself since he had started pushing himself to dangerous (and often worry some lengths) during training after school, after which he'd leave the dojo and not return until late in the early morning hours. _Which probably had much to do with the people hassling his family,_ Akisame thought as he regarded his student with a slightly calculating gaze.

Not that Kenichi noticed. He- for all intents and purposes- now seemed to be off in his own little world.

Which was fine. He had more than his fair share of things on his mind right now. The safety of his family. His friends. Training. And now his cousin, Saya, that he hadn't seen in many, many years and whatever physical and emotional baggage she may have brought with her.

Yes- Kenichi's mental plate was more than overflowing at the moment and while that usually didn't bother the judo master... It did today. Right now. He worried that perhaps he and the other masters should step in a little bit and maybe help the teen out some since he was in as far over his head as any one person could be and still remain sane.

"How much further?" He asked curiously since they had now walked almost four blocks. Just how far away from the dojo did Kenichi's family live anyways? Sure Miu had said that he lived close-by, but her definition of close-by and his definition of the word were obviously polar opposites.

"Another six blocks or so." Kenichi replied after a moment or so of thought.

"Hn." Akisame hummed before saying, "I see... Do you think we'll make it in time?" Kenichi fished his cell out of his pants pocket and flicked it open to see the latest message on the phone's screen.

It was from well over an hour ago and read,

**I'm here! **

"Ugh," Kenichi said in disgust as he turned his head to glare at his master for a moment before saying. "Remind me to never go shopping with you again the next time I'm in a hurry!" Kenichi said as he put the phone back in his pocket and took off running. Not caring all that much whether his master fell into step behind him or not.


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